Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries

Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries is an easy to make, fudgy chocolate chip cake made with an old school trick!

Valentine’s Day is on the way and what says ‘love’ more than chocolate. The more the better too.

Did you know eating chocolate encourages the brain to produce endorphins, the chemicals that make people feel good?

It’s true. Just one more reason to love chocolate!

Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries

This easy to make, fudgy chocolate chip cake slathered with a chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate-stuffed raspberries is delicious!

Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries is perfect for chocolate-lovers and those with food allergies alike.

Can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and free of the top 8 food allergens (but you’d never guess that when taking a bite!)

What is Wacky Cake?

If you are not familiar with Wacky Cake it was created during the Depression when eggs, milk and butter weren’t readily available.

A chemical reaction between the cake ingredients (which includes vinegar but you cannot taste the vinegar) allows the cake to rise without the usual cake ingredients which became unavailable due to World War II.

I’ve read many tales about why the cake is called ‘wacky’. Maybe it’s the chemical reaction which you can hear when stirring the ingredients.

I’ve also read it was developed by WAC’s (a female branch of the U.S. Army).

But whatever the reason it is a fun and delicious fudgy, chocolate cake ideal for anyone.

Make it Allergy-Friendly!

Those with food allergies, along with anyone else who loves luscious chocolate cake will enjoy this recipe.

This Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries recipe is very adaptable to accomodate key food allergies.

How to Make Wacky Cake

Though Wacky Cake is not difficult to make, it does require a specific method!

Does this method make a difference? Yes, in my findings it does.

I had one mistake when the divot for the oil was not large enough and seeped out.

The batter in that test round was much thinner; go figure.

For detailed instructions refer to the Wacky Cake instructions in the recipe card below.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Mix the dry ingredients together, add to the prepared pan and make three divots/ in the floury mix. (photo 1)
• Pour the oil into the largest divot, vanilla into another and vinegar in the third. (photo 2)
• Pour the liquid over the top of the other ingredients and mix together with a fork. (photos 3 and 4)
• Stir in chocolate chips and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Baking Wacky Cake at Altitude

I also have found Wacky Cake bakes very well at altitude.

Baking gluten-free at 5,500 feet can be nightmarish and this cake comes out perfect every time.

Triple Chocolate Cake

This Valentine’s version of Wacky Cake includes a chocolate triple threat:

• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips in the chocolate cake
• Chocolate Ganache
• Raspberries stuffed with Dark Chocolate chips

It really doesn’t get better than this for chocolate lovers!

Making Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate ganache is very easy to make and adds a rich chocolate coating on the Wacky Cake.

If food allergies are not a concern: chocolate ganache can be made with melted chocolate, cream or any dairy milk.

To avoid the main food allergens: make the ganache with melted allergy-friendly chocolate (like Enjoy Life Foods) and rice milk.

Details in recipe card below.

Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries top the Wacky Cake but are fantastic and a quick to make treat by themselves.

They take mere minutes to construct and the flavor combo is beyond delicious.

A fun treat for kid’s lunchboxes, as a light dessert or for decorating other things like this Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries!

They really add the finishing touch on the cake making it perfect for the ones you love this Valentine’s day!

If you’ve tried this Triple Chocolate Wacky Cake recipe please RATE THE RECIPE below!

5 from 12 votes

Print

Wacky Cake Recipe

Wacky Cake is a great way to make a fudgy chocolate cake without eggs, butter or milk/cream. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword allergy friendly chocolate cake, triple chocolate cake, wacky cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 394 kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour or Gluten-free Flour
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa (plus 1-2 tablespoons to prepare the pan)
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (gluten-free only) (omit if flour blend used has xanthan gum)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ½ cup Water (room temperature)
• ½ cup prepared Coffee (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 cups Mini Semi-Sweet Baking Chips (for allergy-friendly use Enjoy Life Foods Mini Semi-Sweet Baking Chips
• 1/2 cup Rice Milk (allergy-friendly), Cream or Milk (For allergy-friendly: Organic Rice Dream Classic)
• 2 6-ounce cartons fresh Raspberries
• ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips (use Enjoy Life Foods for allergy-friendly results)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Preparing the Cake Pan

1. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Spoon a bit of cocoa into the pan and rotate the pan, tapping it to allow the cocoa to cover all greased surfaces. 

2. Turn the pan upside down and tap on a hard surface (over the kitchen sink is great) to release excess cocoa.

Making the Wacky Cake

1. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum (if using) into the prepared pan.

2. Make three wells in the flour mixture; one large and two smaller. 

   

3. Add the oil to the largest well, and the vinegar and vanilla each to the two smaller wells.

   

4. Pour the water and coffee over the entire mixture. and mix together using a fork or spatula ensuring all the dry ingredients incorporate with the wet ingredients (do not overmix).

   

5. Mix together using a fork or spatula ensuring all the dry ingredients incorporate with the wet ingredients (do not overmix).

   

6. Stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cake is done (it will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan) a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes and then turn out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

8. Allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes and then turn out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

Making the Chocolate Ganache (refer to Recipe Notes for milk suggestions)

1. While the cake is cooling, make the Chocolate Ganache: in a metal bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water) combine the 1 1/2 cups of chocolate semi-sweet chips and the rice milk or dairy milk. 

2. Stir periodically until fully the chocolate is melted then whisk to fully combine (note: this will thicken the ganache and make it glossy). 

3. Remove from heat and place bowl with ganache a larger bowl with ice in it into the refrigerator to cool and thicken; approximately 15 minutes. 

4. The ganache on the bottom of the bowl will be thicker than the rest; stir and whisk together for an even, thick consistency.

Making the Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

1. While the ganache is cooling stuff the Raspberries: Insert one dark chocolate chip into each raspberry, pointed side of the morsel facing the inside of the berry (flat side facing out). NOTE: Stuffed berries may be kept in the refrigerator until adding them to the top of the cake.

Finishing the Wacky Cake

1. When the cake is fully cooled, place the cooling rack with the cake on a rimmed baking sheet. 

   

2. Pour the ganache onto the cake spreading it to cover the top and sides; allowing any excess to drip onto the baking sheet. 

3. Place the chocolate-stuffed raspberries on the ganache. Note: the ganache will be thicker than shown in the photo; photo is to illustrate the cake/rack/pan set up.

Recipe Notes

Milk options for the Ganache:

• Rice milk was used to make this a full allergy-friendly recipe
• The ganache may be made with any milk or heavy cream (the usual) you desire.
• The amount needed may vary due to the fat and thickness of the type of milk so start with a smaller amount and gauge adding more by the thickness of the ganache.

Flour options:

• Regular all purpose flour, gluten-free flour or gluten-free measure-for-measure type flour may be used.
• If using a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour that contains a binder, omit the Xanthan Gum listed in the recipe ingredients.

Allergy-friendly Chocolate:

I recommend Enjoy Life Foods for allergy-friendly chocolate for this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Wacky Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 394 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16g 25%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 314mg 13%

Potassium 266mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 61g 20%

Dietary Fiber 7g 28%

Sugars 35g

Protein 5g 10%

Vitamin A 0.2%

Vitamin C 9%

Calcium 7.2%

Iron 14.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was originally sponsored by Enjoy Life Foods in January 2017. Updated February 2019